African Hearts Community Organization is committed to educating the vulnerable children of Uganda and helping them prepare to get jobs as young adults. Many of these young men will not be ready for university, but all can learn a vocational skill to help them earn a living. African Hearts organized vocational training for that purpose. They train young men in a variety of activities such as tailoring, music performance, soap making, brick making, masonry, and mechanics to help them become self-sustaining and productive adults.

The Music Man
Dibbya Samuel came to African Hearts in 2003 and was trained in the brass band where he regained his self-esteem. Sammy became one of the best musicians in the band which earned him a position with a touring band that took him on a four month tour of Europe. He plays bass guitar and keyboard for his church. Sammy now lives independently. He earns his living from music and is a great asset to African Hearts. He helps to support his mother and has been able to pay for some of his siblings to attend school. We love Sammy!

Soccer Comes Second
Musoke Musa came to African Hearts in 2003 along with his brother Rashid. African Hearts cared for and discipled these boys. Musa is very disciplined socially and academically. In 2011 he was selected to represent Uganda in a youth soccer tournament in South Africa. In 2012 he was invited to try out for Sports Club Villa, one of the leading soccer teams in Uganda. Musoke told the club to allow him to put his education first. From the first time I met Musoke, he has been faithful to his dream to finish his education. He has prayed and followed it through. He truly excels academically and on the soccer pitch. We are proud of Musoke and expect great things from this young man.

He's Tailor Made
A pioneer of African Hearts, Kisito Issa was rescued in 2002. He has been through the school system and finally discovered his tailoring talent. African Hearts enrolled him in tailoring school where he emerged as the best student of his year. Now he designs and makes all the uniforms for African Hearts Junior School. He is quick to tell you that he is forever grateful for the support of African Hearts. But, in reality African Hearts is grateful to God for Kisito and all the people who support our mission. Our vision is to continue to expand vocational training to put our boys to work.

Boda-Boda
Akram joined African hearts in 2002 and became one of the best drummers in the band. However, after realizing that he was not academically gifted and having been out of school for a long time, he chose to become a mechanic to learn to repair boda bodas, a popular means of transport here. He was placed with a renowned artisan under the mentorship of African Hearts leaders. In 2010 Akram successfully completed his training and started up his own boda boda repairing garage, and then he was able to fly out of the African Hearts home to live independently. To date Akram's client base has greatly increased, his garage has expanded, and he has now started a shop for boda boda spare parts. Akram is a hard worker, and we are proud of his success.

Brick by Brick
Mukiibi Bashir and Kigozi Juma are long time beneficiaries of African Hearts. After trying various vocational training, African Hearts eventually placed them with a renowned professor in Makerere University to learn to make Echo environment friendly bricks. They have made all the bricks that were used to construct several school buildings at the African Hearts Junior School. These young men have been able to make a living out of their job and are now living independently. They have also opened a boutique selling second hand clothes and other items. African Hearts also accepts contracts from other organizations and individuals to make these cost effective and environment friendly bricks. Bashir and Juma are hard workers and are eager to build their brick-making business.

You can call me, PEM
For eight years I have known Bashir Isiko. His friends call him PEM, short for Physics, Economics and Mathematics, subject in which he excels. PEM lost his parents and life was hard. The landlord kicked him and his brother out of the house and left them to wander looking for survival. That is when he found African Hearts. We took him back to school and he proved to be a good student with good grades. Today, with his diploma in Procurement, Bashir is leading the youth home and program. He is also an assistant math teacher helping with remedial work at African Hearts Junior School. Recently he accepted a new role as assistant school bursar. We are very proud of Bashir Isiko and praise God for blessing his life!

An Artisan at Heart
Meet Mutebi Peter, a young man now on his own. Peter lived at the African Hearts Home for several years, with no money to pay for his school tuition, we took him to a friendly school that allowed him to train their band as payment for his schooling. Peter had to leave this position when the school's money ran out. He was unable to continue in his education. In 2011 African Hearts paid an artisan to train Peter in construction. Now he is a proud mason working at a company. I was so humbled when he bought me lunch recently with money he had earned from his work. Peter is a true success story and we are very proud of him.

The Trumpet Trainer
I believe Marvin is one of the most talented musicians of our times. He lost his parents to HIV when he was only 8 years old. With little help from his relatives, Marvin was forced to survive on his own and provide for his younger siblings. I met Marvin as a young boy selling water in the slums. When I asked, he told me he was raising money to go to school but never had stable support. I was moved by his heart and hard work and brought him to African Hearts. Since joining African Hearts, Marvin has proven to be one of the best trumpet players in our band. He has learned several other instruments and he is now learning piano and studying music production. I am humbled to say we trained him to play trumpet and now he is our trumpet trainer. We are very proud of Marvin.

These young men are providing their own way now because of the generous support of those who came before you. Today, you can help make a difference in the life of another.